TheRepublic.com - Land environment News

Parking fees fight at Calif. state beaches heat up

Sat, 18 May 2013 19:15:26 -0400

LOS ANGELES - Sunbathers flocking to Southern California beaches are used to feeding the meter or paying a parking attendant. Not so along the less developed north coast where it's customary to ditch cars on the shoulder of Highway 1 to surf, swim or picnic.

Work done at ex-brownfield site on Detroit River

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:35:28 -0400

TRENTON, Michigan - Major environmental restoration work has been completed on a former industrial site along the Detroit River, officials announced Saturday.

Work beginning on Civil War park in Knoxville

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:49:25 -0400

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee - A Civil War landmark in East Tennessee will soon become a low-impact park that allows public access and preserves the area's historical integrity.

Udall to Forest Service: Override tanker protest

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:34:38 -0400

CHEYENNE, Wyoming - Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado called on the U.S. Forest Service on Friday to make certain that a contract dispute doesn't ground large air tankers used to fight wildfires as warmer, drier weather boosts the risk of destructive blazes.

Forest Service contractor killing by falling tree

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:57:15 -0400

ELY, Minnesota - A man working for the U.S. Forest Service has been killed by a falling tree in northeastern Minnesota.

Judge orders Forest Service into lynx consultation

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:22:33 -0400

BILLINGS, Montana - A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to consult with wildlife officials to ensure the agency takes adequate measures to protect Canada lynx in portions of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

Conservation Reserve Program signup begins Monday

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:07:47 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - The U.S. Department of Agriculture says farmers can sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program beginning Monday.

Interior issues new drilling rule on public land

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:42:37 -0400

WASHINGTON - Companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands will be required to disclose publicly the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations, the Obama administration said Thursday. The new "fracking" rule replaces a draft proposed last year that was withdrawn amid industry complaints that federal regulation could hinder an ongoing boom in natural gas production.

Only 2 of 13 small SUVs do well in crash tests

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:31:38 -0400

DETROIT - Only two of 13 small SUVs performed well in front-end crash tests done by an insurance industry group, with several popular models faring poorly in the evaluations.

Newcastle woman builds hiking trails

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:23 -0400

NEWCASTLE, Wyoming - At first, weeds and grass grew through the trail. Not enough people walked over it to beat them down.

Oakland County communities get $600,000 EPA grant

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:49:53 -0400

PONTIAC, Michigan - A $600,000 federal grant will help a number of Oakland County communities do environmental investigations of contaminated land to see if it can be reused.

Forest Service dedicating new lab in Juneau

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:05:26 -0400

JUNEAU, Alaska - The U.S. Forest Service is dedicating its new forestry sciences laboratory in Juneau this weekend.

W.Va. seeks nominees for 'Women in Ag' program

Thu, 16 May 2013 03:08:24 -0400

CHARLESTON, West Virginia - The West Virginia Department of Agriculture wants to know about extraordinary women in agriculture or forestry.

Judge tosses lawsuit against NY lake dredging

Thu, 16 May 2013 03:07:44 -0400

SYRACUSE, New York - A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of 52 suburban Syracuse residents trying to stop Honeywell International from treating contaminated sludge in their community.

NC Senate passes 2 major environmental repeals

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:23:07 -0400

RALEIGH, North Carolina - The North Carolina Senate passed two major environmental rollbacks Wednesday ahead of a deadline over objections from Democratic lawmakers.

Drilling firms: White River plan stifles growth

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:18:34 -0400

ASPEN, Colorado - The oil and gas industry said land closures and increased regulations being considered for White River National Forest would make drilling uncompetitive by limiting the ability of companies to expand use of existing wells and shutting off other opportunities.

Officials hold meeting on brownfields in Atlanta

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:07:56 -0400

ATLANTA - Environmental and government officials are planning to hold a conference on brownfields in Atlanta.

Prescribed burn set for state park

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:07:39 -0400

JENSEN BEACH, Florida - A prescribed burn is planned for a Jensen Beach state park.

Coastal jetties cap would end in NC Senate bill

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:26:11 -0400

RALEIGH, North Carolina - A cap on the number of new coastal jetties built along North Carolina's coast approved two years ago would be eliminated and other restrictions on them would be repealed in a bill recommended Tuesday by a Senate committee.

Panel approves NW Indiana nature preserve

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:02:32 -0400

ANDERSON, Indiana - The Indiana Natural Resources Commission has approved a 342-acre nature preserve in the tallgrass prairie region of the state's northwest corner.

Erosion fix sought at S. Ind. Lewis and Clark site

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:44:19 -0400

CLARKSVILLE, Indiana - Southern Indiana preservationists are trying to line up federal money for a project aimed at stopping severe erosion at the Ohio River site where the Lewis and Clark expedition began in 1803.

Fed court in WY upholds forest management plan

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:58:42 -0400

PIERRE, South Dakota - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says the federal court in Wyoming has upheld a management plan for the Black Hills National Forest.

Bill to arm Maine forest rangers stalls

Tue, 14 May 2013 06:58:31 -0400

AUGUSTA, Maine - A bill that would have allowed Maine forest rangers to carry firearms has stalled.

NC forestry highlighted in green-energy bill

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:13:17 -0400

RALEIGH, North Carolina - A bill sought by North Carolina's forest products industry has cleared the House despite opposition by legislators worried it could harm a Charlotte-based steel company.

Kenai refuge revises fire management plan

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:15:23 -0400

KENAI, Alaska - The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is revising its fire management plan for the first time in five years, and the new proposal could let the refuge and communities cooperate on prescribed burns.